Dark Angel
by Lyralis
Summary: I've been a murderer, a hero, a street rat, the savior of a nation. I've loved and lost and loved again, be it king or assassin or nobleman. I've come by the title Dark Angel, and that is what I intend to live by. M//
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Oblivion or any of the regular characters that come with it. I do, however, own Jared and a few others. I would ask you t excuse me for any errors in the game's history or content. I do not know everything about it, but I will try to give you the best story possible.

888

I killed my first man at the age of thirteen. I did it out of sheer self-preservation, the desire to live. I did it for five gold pieces to buy bread for the week. It was just another beggar, a bit of life's waste living on the streets of the Imperial city with me, but what matters was that, when the blood was still wet on my hands, I cared only about the five gold pieces I had just acquired. That they were so pretty was my only thought, small and round and shiny with smears of scarlet from my kill.

I kicked the body into a gutter, peered around the corner of the alley and darted away before any guards could find me. It was dark, just before midnight, so there was no one around to see a little street urchin, covered in blood, darting from shadow to shadow. The rusty iron knife I had used to stab the child was still clutched tightly in my grubby hand as I shoved the money into the pocket of my ragged shorts.

I ran until I got to the Elven Gardens District, where I had my pitiful excuse for a bed and my few possessions. It was in a little corner near Irene Metrick's house. All I had was a small blanket and a sack with my few personal objects. It was into this sack that I thrust my bloodied knife before I snatched up my blanket and slid under it, huddling against the wall and shivering. It was in this fashion that I fell asleep and met my savior. He came to me in the night, shadow-cloaked with a voice like the wind and ravens.

I was by nature a light sleeper, so I woke when I felt someone lurking over me. I was instantly on my feet, reaching for my knife. Then a cool hand closed around my wrist and twisted it in an almost painful hold. I could see his face under his cowl, sharply cut and handsome, with sleek black hair and prominent cheekbones. I shivered in his grasp, nearly pissing myself in fear. He peered down at me, a frown creasing his pale face.

"This is not right. You are far too young…but you kill so beautifully." He released me and I crumpled to the ground, scared enough that I didn't even fidget. "What is your name, child?" He asked, his dark voice softening somewhat.

"J-Jared." I stammered in response. The man sighed and pushed back his cowl, freeing his dark hair to flow around is face.

"I am Lucien Lachance, Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood. The Night Mother saw you kill and was pleased. You have been issued am invitation to join the Brotherhood, but you are young yet. Too young, I am afraid. But She wants you." Lachance paused and reached into his robe, producing something I could not quite make out in the darkness. He pressed it into my hand and closed my fingers around it. "Take this and remember. I will come for you in four years. I will offer you this choice again and then you can give me your answer. Until then, kill no one." I heard something hit the ground, and then Lucien was gone.

It took me about five minutes to move, to even turn my head. When I finally established that Lucien was gone, I opened my hand and in my palm lay a tiny purple flower, perfect and unmarred by my filth. Nightshade, I knew from a demonstration of poisons a traveling alchemist had given some time ago. Nightshade. I also found on the ground a small, black silk purse. I marveled at the sensation of the material across my rough skin before tentatively pulling the drawstrings. Within lay gold, more than I had ever seen in my entire life. I heard myself gasp quietly as I reached in and touched it, unbelieving. It made the five gold that would feed me for a week look insignificant, tiny compared to the wealth that lay within. I stared at it incredulously for several more minutes and then shoved the entire thing into the sack that held everything else. Then I sat on my blanket and considered leaving the city and going elsewhere. Kvatch wasn't too far, and it had lots of places where an urchin like me could hide. Then I decided against it. Traveling was dangerous and I was afraid, some small part of me, that if I left, the dark man Lachance would never be able to find me again. And that was that.

888

The next day the first thing I did was jump into one of the pools of water in the Garden district and scrub the blood from my skin, clothes, and knife. The water was cool against my filthy body, and it clouded red when I ducked under to clean my hair. After that was finished, I took myself off to the Market District. With my money, I bought myself a set of simple, clean clothes and changed into them in a dark alley. Then I made my way through the crowds of people confidently, my satchel over my shoulder, and went to the First Edition bookstore. I peeked in the door and then upbraided myself as an idiot. I had to be confidant. Confidant!

Behind the counter stood a man named Phintias, the proprietor of the store. He looked down at me with kindly eyes.

"How may I help you, young man?" He inquired. I fought back nervous fidgeting.

"Sir, I've come to ask you to take me on as your apprentice for a year." I said as bravely as I could. "I have money, I can pay you to take me." I said quietly, suddenly feeling very shy. Phintias looked at me very oddly, squinting for a moment. Then he shook his head and smiled.

"Of course I'll take you. You do not need to pay, I'll give you room, board, and teaching in exchange for helping me around the shop." Phintias shrugged. "I've need of assistance anyways, so you came at a good time. Come, and I'll show you to a place where you can sleep. By the way, what is your name?" Phintias asked.

"Jared," I replied. That was how I gained an apprenticeship for the next year, and a basic knowledge of how to read and write. Phintias was a kind master, tolerant of my many mistakes, patient with my ignorance. I came to respect him, and slowly the meeting with Lachance faded from my mind. I began to think it all a dream, but for when I pulled out the nightshade, dry and brittle, and stared at it for hours. I owed my life and more to the man.

At the end of my year with Phintias, he let me go with his blessings and when I told him of my desire, he wrote me a glowing letter of recommendation to Rohssan, who knew me somewhat by then. She accepted me, and taught me as well. This was the most interesting stage of my multiple apprenticeships, the only one truly worth talking about, the one that lasted two and a half years instead of the one I had originally intended.

888

It was the very first day of my apprenticeship when Rohssan when she took me into the basement and set me up on a mat on the floor.

"Since you asked, I'm going to teach you to fight, Jared. If you complain, I'll throw you out. If you give up, you can go back to Phintias and live a scholarly life. Under my tutelage, you'll be silent and do as I tell you." Rohssan was gruff, but not cruel and that day she certainly put me through my paces, teaching me the basics of hand-to-hand combat. That night, exhausted, I lay in bed in my little corner of the basement and twirled the nightshade between my fingers for hours.

888

One year into my apprenticeship, a young man walked into Rohssan's shop. The first thing I noticed about him was his hair, a lovely shade of auburn, long enough to brush his waist and tightly braided.

"How may I help you?" I asked courteously, walking around the counter and setting the broom I was holding to one side. Rohssan had left me in charge for two weeks while she traveled to Kvatch to speak with a weapon's master there.

"I'm searching for a weapon, a sword preferably, lighter than a claymore, but not a short sword either." He said. He carried an air of nobility like a cloak, held himself with an aristocratic carriage.

"Try this." I rifled through a sword rack standing against one wall of the shop until I found what I was looking for. It was a slender katana, lighter than normal ones, and nicely balanced. I handed it to him. He took it and pulled it from its sheath, the fine steel glittering softly in his hands.

"It's got a nice weight to it." He said appraisingly. "How much?" He inquired, sliding the sword back into its sheath and buckling on the baldric that went with it.

"Two hundred gold." I replied. The young nobleman reached into his pockets and withdrew a green purse. He upended it onto the counter and counted out two hundred and ten gold. I frowned and tried to push the ten extra back over, but he grinned and shoved it into my hands.

"A tip." He said, putting his purse back into his pocket. "I beg a favor in return, however." He examined me through narrowed green eyes.

"What is that?" I asked, wondering what I could offer this noble who had everything.

"Your name, if you please." He requested.

"Jared." I replied without thinking. The stranger grinned.

"Thank you Jared. You may call me Abadon." He winked and left the shop, leaving me, flummoxed, behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter already! This fic seems to be going along fairly well. It'd certainly be nice if someone was reading it though. I feel very lonely over here.

Oh, by the way, the first part of this fic takes place before Elder Scrolls IV. I'll get into the main plot eventually, but not for a while.

I don't own Oblivion or any of the characters directly affiliated with it.

888

Rohssan returned a day late due to rather dreary weather. It had been raining heavily for the past two days without break, keeping me cooped up indoors. The stranger I had met, Abadon, was frequently on my mind. It began to drive me a little insane, so to distract myself I set to the shop in a frenzy, scrubbing and polishing everything. I sharpened weapons that needed it, sanded the rough spots out of the counter, replaced a cracked window and chased dust clouds out from beneath Rohssan's bed. When I ran out of things to clean, I worked my body mercilessly, drilling over and over with all the weapons I knew how to use: I could fight hand-to-hand, with a stave, I could shoot a bow and use a knife and I had just picked up the mace. I was, however, best bare handed or with a knife so I practiced with the bow and stave mostly, and worked on acrobatics.

I was in the basement the day Rohssan returned, flipping from one end to the other. I was aware of her the moment she stepped into the basement, but knew she would knock me top over tail if I stopped in the middle of my routine to greet her. So I went through an excruciatingly complex set of twists that left me winded, dropped into a tight spinning kick and stopped right in front of her. She gave me a tight-lipped smile and a nod of approval.

Very good. I do believe that you are one of the most talented students that I've ever taught. You are ready and more than to move on to the sword." I stared at her and tried not to gape. To say that Rohssan was sparing with praise was to say that the rain outside was wet.

"Thank you, ma'am." I nearly fell over in my hurry to bow. Rohssan laughed heartily and steadied me with one hand.

"No Jared, thank you for being so willing to learn." She replied. Then she tilted her head, listening. "We've a customer? In this weather?" She frowned and headed upstairs. I followed, snatching up a rag to wipe my face with as I went.

When we got upstairs, the first thing I saw was the stranger who had purchased the sword.

"Jared!" Abadon greeted me cheerfully. "I wanted to thank you for the katana. It works beautifully." He said, tilting his head towards the hilt I could see poking over his shoulder.

"You know each other?" Rohssan queried, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Umm…sort of." I replied, looking at Abadon. He was soaked through, his auburn hair nearly black with water, his fine clothes dripping all over my newly clean floor. Even sopping wet, he was still undeniably handsome, and I was suddenly very aware of my sweaty, disheveled state.

"It really was no problem." I replied, not daring to meet Abadon's eyes.

"Anyway," Abadon continued as though I had not spoken. "I've come to see if you would have lunch with me on the morrow, weather permitting." Abadon made his request easily, smiling broadly the entire time. I admitted to myself that he was charming, and that I was drawn to that charm.

"Ah, alright I suppose." I said, mentally scanning through what I had to wear for the occasion. I came up with a big nothing.

"Excellent! I'll be here tomorrow by noon." With that, Abadon bowed to Rohssan and me and sauntered out of the shop.

Rohssan looked at me and shook her head.

"Do you know who that is?" She asked, running a hand through her short-cropped hair.

"A noble of some sort?" I hazarded a guess and shrugged. "I helped him pick a sword while you were away." I stretched slowly, nonchalantly, as I worked kinks out of my back.

"Abadon DuLac, son of one of the most powerful families in Cyrodiil. The first son." She added the last part as an afterthought. I looked at her incredulously.

"Then why is he buying a sword here?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. That earned me another raised eyebrow and a frown. I winced and held my hands up defensively.

"I didn't mean it like that! I meant that he could have his sword commissioned and his crest put on it and everything instead of buying one off of a rack…" I trailed off as I realized that I was babbling and Rohssan was suppressing a smile.

"I know what you meant. As for your question, I've no idea. Odd things happen around you, Jared." With that strange statement, Rohssan headed upstairs to her bedroom.

888

The next morning I threw myself into a wild fit, scrubbing every inch of my skin down and throwing on my best clothes, which consisted of a simple black tunic and white leggings. I combed out my hair until the black waves shone softly and just brushed past my shoulders. Rohssan helped me line my eyes with black kohl, as was fashionable. That was the best that I was going to get.

"Here, this is for you." Rohssan pulled a flat box out from behind the counter, as we stood around in the store front, waiting. I took it uncertainly, for Rohssan had never given me any gift but her teaching lifted the lid off slowly and peeked inside, stifling a gasp when I saw her gift. On the bottom of the box lay a beautifully worked black leather baldric with two black-sheathed knives already attached to it. I thought I saw a soft glow around it, but it was fleeting at best.

"Rohssan…"I began, at a loss for words. She held up one hand, silencing me.

"Shut up and take it Jared. The leather is spelled to resist fire and water damage, and the knives will never dull." Rohssan frowned, but I could see that she was pleased with my reaction. I lifted the gift reverently out of the box. It was, by far, the nicest thing that I had ever owned. I slipped it on over my tunic, marveling at how perfectly it fit.

I was about to say something else when the door swung open and Abadon strode in, resplendent in a green silk shirt that brought out his eyes and looked well against his sun-kissed skin.

"Are you ready, Jared?" Abadon asked, tucking his thumbs into his belt.

"Yes." I replied wittily. I bid Rohssan farewell and left, trailing along behind Abadon.

The rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast. The air held the distinct chill of the coming autumn, slowly seeping through my thin shirt. Abadon seemed undisturbed by the cold.

"So where are we going?" I asked to break the silence. Abadon's head snapped around and his eyes focused on me as though he had forgotten that I was there for a moment.

"I thought we might go for a picnic. I do not particularly care for inns and taverns." Abadon remarked.

"Sounds good." I said, trying to sound enthusiastic as I eyed the fray, cloudy sky. Abadon caught my tone and chuckled.

"Don't worry, I've a reason for it." He said, nodding to the guard as he scrambled to open the gate, bowing obsequiously.

"Of course." I replied, following him with my hands clasped behind my back. Waiting patiently just outside the gate was a saddled horse.

"I only took one so as not to arouse suspicion. You'll have to ride with me." Abadon stroked the beast's muzzle; it's warm chestnut fur glowed against the gold of his skin.

"I don't ride very well." I said nervously, eyeing the horse. It seemed gigantic and menacing.

"Just hold on." Abadon said, grinning boyishly. He swung himself gracefully into the saddle and offered me his hand. I hesitated for a moment and then took it, surprised at how easily he hauled me up behind him. I was not short by any means, nor was I gangly, though I wasn't stocky either. I suppose I was lean at that time. Weight never really stuck to me after all my years on the street.

"What now?" I asked, looking at the ground. It seemed very far away.

"Arms around my waist and don't let go." Then he clicked his tongue and we were off at a headlong gallop across the stone bridge. I barely had time to grab his waist, and my stomach plummeted in a sickening fashion as I was tossed about like a sack of potatoes from the gallop. In front of me, Abadon tossed his head back and laughed.

888

Abadon pulled the horse to a stop behind a copse of trees about half an hour out of the city. There was a circle of willows surrounding a small pond, and there were riots of flowers everywhere.

"Here we are." Abadon said cheerfully as he slid off of the horse. He helped me down, but I had to lean against a tree for a moment before I could support my own weight again. When Abadon saw the expression on my face, he laughed.

"You really don't like horses." He observed as he dug through a saddlebag. He pulled out a heavy looking canvas cloth and set it on the ground, untying the corners and letting them drop away to reveal a pile of food.

"Set that up while I care for Windy here." He said, taking the horse's reins in his hand and leading her over to the pond. I dropped to the ground and did as I was told, setting out the loaves of bread and cheese neatly, putting the bottle of wine to one side and piling up apples. Abadon joined me when he was finished and picked up an apple.

"Enjoy." He gestured, popping the wine open with his belt knife. After a moment I shrugged and ripped off a hunk of bread, sliced some cheese and began to munch as Abadon took a swig directly out of the bottle.

"What did you want me for?" I asked after I had finished half of my bread. Abadon regarded me for a moment over the top of the wine bottle.

"I've a request to make of you. You do not have to accept, but I would appreciate it." He took another long drink and then offered me the bottle. I took it and sipped.

"Well, make it then." I said, raising my eyebrows at the wine. It was some of the best that I'd ever tasted. Curiously, I peered at the label and felt my eyebrows nearly vanish into my hairline. It was a Tamika 399, some of the best around.

"I would like to hire you as a bodyguard for a trip to Anvil. There is a mage I need to consult." Abadon said, taking a bite out of his apple. I could tell that something was off.

"Why me? You're Abadon DuLac. Surely you have scores of guards." I said, knocking back some more wine.

"It's something I'd rather my family not know about. If I can tell them I'm just going on a pleasure jaunt with a friend who also happens to be a good fighter, then they won't protest too much." Abadon said, getting up and searching through his bag again. He came out with a pale purple bottle.

"Trade you." He offered, gesturing to the wine bottle. I took the purple one and handed it to him.

"What is it?" I asked, turning the label-less container around in my hands.

"Just try it." Abadon ordered, tilting his head back and gulping wine. I sighed and popped the cork out, raising the bottle and taking a long drink before I could even stop to consider my actions. The drink was warm and fiery, burning all the way down to my stomach. I gasped and tried not to cough. Abadon laughed again, his voice smoother than whatever I had just drunk.

"Brandy." He supplied, finishing off the apple he had picked up and reaching for some cheese. I looked at the bottle for a moment and then took another drink.

"So will you come with me?" Abadon asked. I considered it for a moment, rolling the brandy around on my tongue.

"If Rohssan will allow it." I said finally. Abadon leaned back, looking relieved. He had finished the bottle of wine and it now lay on the grass next to him.

"Thank you. I will, of course, reimburse you for your service." He said, his speech a little slurred.

"Should be fun." I tipped my head back to drink more brandy.

888

I was quite thoroughly intoxicated by the time the two of us decided to head back, as was Abadon. On the ride back, we went a bit more slowly. It was dark by then, so I couldn't really see Abadon, but I could feel him, pressed up against him as tightly as I was. He was all firm muscle, with no trace of the softness that nobility usually carry with them.

I let my forehead rest against his back and closed my eyes, feeling him tense slightly at that.

"Tired?" Abadon asked, laughter in his voice.

"Kind of." I stifled a yawn and shivered in the cold, sharper now than it had been when we left.

"We're back." Abadon dismounted, handed the reins to a hostler at the stable outside of the city, and helped me down. Together we made our way inside, staggering slightly and only keeping upright because we worked off of each other.

I don't remember getting back to Rohssan's shop or falling into bed.

888

I woke the next morning, surprisingly headache free, and rolled over. I promptly hit something warm and muscular, sprawled out over more than half of my bed. It was Abadon, still asleep, stretched out like a rather large cat. I blinked, confused in my half-asleep state. Why was he still there?

A moment later, he turned over and his eyed flicked open, taking me in.

"Morning." He said, sitting up. The blanket slid down, revealing him as shirtless to the waist. I was still fully dressed.

"Good morning." I replied absently, unable to take my eyes from him. His torso was just as golden as his arms and face, with smooth skin and firm ridges of muscle. His nipples were like small, dark coins on his chest.

"You awake yet?" Abadon asked, raising one eyebrow. I fought back a sudden blush and looked back to his face. He was running his hands over his hair, smoothing the auburn strands of his braid into place.

"Sort of." I replied, stretching slowly. All of the bones in my spine cracked and popped.

"I should get going then." Abadon rolled out of bed and picked up his shirt from where it was neatly folded over the back of a chair. He slipped it on, the muscles in his back shifting and flexing as he did so. I watched, mesmerized.

"Goodbye then. I'll be back in a week with more information on the trip." With that, Abadon grinned at me and left. I watched him leave and then stared at the door for a moment longer. Then I groaned and flopped back onto my bed, rolling over and falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, third chapter already! I hope I'm not rushing this fic. Maybe I should set a weekly release date for chapters or something. I feel like I update a bit sporadically. Any suggestions? Oh, and I really do appreciate reviews for anyone who is reading but not saying anything. ^^

888

Rohssan more than assured me that she could handle the shop while I was gone. She had, after all, been running A Fighting Chance a good deal longer than I had been alive. She even helped me pack for the trip, showing me how to stow a great deal in a small bag.

Abadon was in and out of the shop frequently over the next couple of days, keeping me updated on what was happening. His family had agreed to the trip, trusting their son's judgement. He would be supplying the horses, food, and a good deal of money for the trip. I would bring things such as cookware, flint and tinder, and a few other essential items.

We were ready to leave by the end of the week, and it was a good thing too, for I could see Abadon becoming more and more impatient to be on his way. I did not know what drove him, only that it must have been very important to hurry him so. The morning that we left, he seemed freer somehow.

888

"Are you quite ready, Jared?" Abadon asked as I secured my bags Windy's saddle. It was the same beast I had ridden a week ago. Abadon had a different horse, one that was sleek and black and fierce looking.

"I will never be ready to ride a damn horse." I grumbled as I clambered clumsily into the saddle. Abadon laughed at me and swung into his saddle with a good deal more grace.

"Be careful you two." Rohssan had come to see us off. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a concerned expression on her face.

"We will." I promised, waving at her and then flinching as Windy shifted her weight.

"Thank you for loaning me your apprentice." Abadon said cheekily. He waved to Rohssan as well and then nudged his horse's sides. The black started forward, and Windy followed.

"What is your horse's name?" I asked as we walked at a leisurely pace, which was about all I could handle.

"Necromance." Abadon replied.

We rode through the entire day, stopping only when the sun began to dip below the horizon. Abadon was good company, talking to pass the hours, telling different stories of his escapades, and laughing at himself as I laughed along with him.

We camped under the stars on that first night, surrounded by the soft sighing of the wind.

"Jared?" I heard a rustle as Abadon shifted in his blanket. "How did you come to be apprenticed to Rohssan?" He asked. I paused a moment to consider his question, weighing how much I should tell him.

"I lived on the streets when I was younger. I was miserable and underfed most of the time, so I decided that I despised my life and wanted a new one. So one day I went to a man named Phintias. He runs the First Edition in the market. I asked him for an apprenticeship. He took me in and I stayed with him for a year, learning to read and write. Then he recommended me to Rohssan and I went to her to learn how to fight." I finished the very abbreviated story of my life, leaving out only Lachance and his offer to the Dark Brotherhood. I hoped he wouldn't sense the half-truth.

"They just took you like that?" Abadon sounded faintly surprised. "The Gods must have been with you that day, my friend. Apprenticeships like that are difficult to come by. Abadon rolled over to face me, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Are they really?" I asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"Very." Abadon replied quietly.

"Perhaps the Gods were with me indeed." I agreed. But in my mind, I thought back to Rohssan's mention of odd things happening around me. What had happened around me that was out of the ordinary? Well, other than Lachance coming to me. But no one knew about that. Or had someone found out somehow? No, because then I would have been arrested for murder…I was startled rather suddenly out of my reverie by a soft touch on my cheek.

"Sleep well, Jared." Abadon said, lifting a lock of hair away from my face.

"And you as well." I replied, touching his hand briefly with my own.

888

I woke slowly the following morning, when the sky was tinged gray with the coming dawn. I drowsed comfortably for a few moments and curled my toes under my warm blanket. I was very warm, actually, warmer than I should have been.

I opened my eyes and discovered a chest clad in just a thin tan undershirt right in front of me. Abadon's chest. Somehow during the night, he had migrated over to my blankets, and was now sleeping peacefully right next to me, one arm thrown carelessly over my side. I don't know how it had happened, but I did know that I was content to remain there until Abadon woke, despite the overwhelming need to relieve myself.

Abadon was one of those people who woke all at once. There was no gentle drift from sleep to wakefulness, no slow coming of awareness. One moment he was breathing deeply, relaxed in sleep. The next his deep green eyes were open and staring down at me.

"Good morning." He greeted without the slightest trace of awkwardness. He sat up, and the sudden lack of his warmth had me shivering.

"Morning." I replied, never having been one partial to the early hours of the day.

"Sorry about that, I tend to gravitate towards warm things." Abadon stretched slowly, the bones in his back and shoulders popping audibly.

"It's quite alright." I said, getting up without further ado. I wandered away towards the bushes to empty my bladder.

"When I came back, Abadon had buried the remains of our previous night's fire and had stowed away the blankets. He handed me bread and cheese silently and went to see to the horses, his own breakfast in one hand.

I ate slowly, my sleep-fogged mind clearing as I did. The day was overcast and crisp, with the scent of rain in the air. It would be nice for riding, providing that no rain actually fell.

888

Of course, it rained later in the day. There was no warning of it, just a sudden, torrential downpour of fat, wet droplets. Necromance whinnied unhappily and Windy bore it stoically. Abadon scowled.

"Lets ride up around that bend and see if there's any shelter. If there isn't, we can ride back to that cave we saw a while ago." He called over the pounding of the rain.

I nodded, wanting nothing more than to get out of the miserable weather and change my clothes. As we approached the bend however, Windy stopped and refused to move one more step, the abrupt cessation of movement nearly throwing me from the saddle.

"What's wrong?" I leaned around after I regained my balance and patted her neck, trying to soothe her nervous twitching. I looked over at Abadon, who had the hand on the hilt of his sword. The scuffling of feet and Necromance's angry neigh was all the warning we had.

The attackers came from both ahead and behind us, four of them and an archer off to the left. Abadon drew his sword and wheeled Necromance, going for the two behind us. I slid one knife out from the wrist sheath I was wearing and went for the one on the left in front of me. He was tall and lean, carrying a heavy hammer as though he knew how to use it. The weight of it, however, made him far, far too slow.

As he swung, I threw myself off of Windy and hit the ground in a tight roll as my horse bolted off to the left. The big man staggered, attempting to stop the progress of his weapon. He regained his footing a moment later and came for me again, this time with his shorter, slighter friend to back him up. The short one was the one I kept a wary eye on, for I could see no weapons on him. I suspected hidden knives or a hand to hand expert.

The taller one swung again and I ducked, rolling around behind him and slicing my knife across the backs of his ankles. He collapsed with a cry and my knife between his ribs silenced him forever.

I was left with the shorter one, a dainty wood elf with long brown hair. He grinned at me, displaying the tips of sharply filed teeth. I circled him warily, not daring to spare a glance to see how Abadon was doing, though I could hear cries of pain and the grating of steel on steel behind me.

I blinked and in the next moment, the man was gone. I could hear a snicker off to my left, and only that noise saved my life. I twisted to the right, wincing as I felt a cold blade score along my left shoulder. It stung, but was not deep. The elf shimmered back into existence, the tip of his short dagger bloodied.

"Bastard." I muttered, feinting to the right and lunging into the left. I buried my knife in his thigh and rolled to my feet behind him, barehanded. The elf cursed and shimmered out of existence again. I backed up hastily, glancing to my sides and listening intently. I saw a single flower bend and break as something heavy squashed it. I darted towards the disturbance, another knife in my hand. I felt it slide home with a satisfying thump as the blade sank in to the hilt. The elf shrieked and appeared again, dropping his dagger and burying his teeth in my forearm. I yelled and tried to shake him off, hot blood dripping onto the ground. How was the creature still alive? My knife pierced the area where his heart should have been!

Despite the mortal wound, he held on, shaking his head like a dog and pummeling me with his fists. I drew my third and last knife and stabbed him over and over again until he shuddered and went limp. The sudden weight of his corpse on my arm dragged me to the ground.

I winced and tried to pry his mouth open. His jaws were locked too tightly around my arm though, and I couldn't get his mouth open with one hand. I looked away from the elf and towards Abadon. He was finishing off the last bandit, a second dead by his feet. Necromance was trampling the archer into the ground.

I brought my gaze back to the corpse latched onto my arm and tried once more, futilely, to get it loose. Then I sighed and braced myself as I took up my knife once more. I sliced away his cheeks to bare his teeth, and reversed my grip on my knife. With the heavy weight on my pommel, I struck his teeth twice on each side, shattering them. His jaw cracked and split under the strikes as well. Once the bones were broken, it was easier. I cut off his broken jaw and slid the teeth out of my arm. When that was gone, I slid my arm off of his upper teeth as well.

I staggered to my feet and snatched my knives out of the dead body, backing away from the dead elf as quickly as I could and holding my injured arm close to my chest. I backed right into Abadon as he walked down the road towards me. I nearly fell, but his hands on my shoulders steadied me.

"Jared, are you alright?" He turned me around and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he saw the ruin that had been a perfectly good arm. His eyes traveled to my left shoulder and he brought his hand away from the cut I had received there. There was blood staining his hand.

"Come, let's get back to the cave." He looped an arm around my waist and led me slowly up the road to where Necromance and Windy were waiting for us.

888

Abadon got a fire going with deadfall he found stored in a corner of the cave, left my some previous friendly traveler. I sat and shivered in my wet clothes, blinking owlishly and feeling rather slow.

When the fire was finished, Abadon took off the horses' bridles and saddles and let them wander. He took up the leather saddlebags and came over to me, setting them down by the fire.

He stripped my shirt off of me silently, in a calm, businesslike manner. He tended to my shoulder first, cleaning the shallow slash and spreading a cool, mint scented ointment onto it. He wrapped it in clean bandages and tied them neatly and tightly. Then he looked at me.

"I need your arm, Jared." He said gently, taking my left hand in one of his and uncurling the fingers of my right hand from the wound. I let go as he drew my arm towards himself slowly. He poured clean water over it, rinsing all of the blood away. It continued to bleed slightly, but not as badly as it had been earlier. I winced as he probed at the bite with his fingertips.

"There's a tooth in here, Jared. Brace yourself." Abadon picked one of my knives and cleaned it off. He used the very tip of it to lever the tooth out of my flesh. He grimaced and tossed the offensive thing into the fire. I watched him, biting my lip until it bled to keep from shrieking like a child.

"There, that's all I can do for it. We're only a day out of Skingrad. We'll get you a proper healer there." Abadon rinsed the ragged, raw wound out once more and spread the cooling ointment onto the skin around it. Then he wrapped it tightly and put everything away. He sat back on his heels and regarded me intently.

"It's alright Jared." Abadon drew a clean shirt out of one of the bags, one of his shirts, and began to blot my skin dry. He rubbed it over my hair until that was mostly dry as well. Then he got out another shirt, mine this time, and helped me pull it on carefully. I got up and changed my pants myself, then sat down as close to the fire as I could without burning myself. I was shivering violently from the cold and the pain that radiated off of my arm.

A soft weight settled around my shoulders as Abadon draped a blanket over me. He sat down next to me, staring intently into the fire. He had let his hair loose to dry, and it now clung to his skin damply. He looked different with it down, more vulnerable.

"Do you want anything to eat?" He asked suddenly. I shook my head mutely. Abadon sighed and rose to his feet. He began to lie out the blankets we used to sleep on. When everything was neat to his standards, he came back over to me.

"Come on, you should get some rest." He said quietly. He helped me up and led me over to the blankets. When I was settled down, he covered me securely and then went back to sit by the fire. The last thing I saw before I drifted off was his shadowed profile outlined against the flickering light.


	4. Chapter 4

I forgot my disclaimer in the last chapter, so just for further notice, I do not own Oblivion!

I really do like reviews for anyone who is paying attention to this note. I mean, I know not many people write or read Oblivion fictions but I should certainly hope that I have more than one reader!

888

It was still raining lightly the next morning, not heavily enough to make it difficult to see, but just enough so that footing for the horses was treacherous. I liked it though, the chill water feeling good against my heated skin. Abadon just watched me silently, looking worried but saying nothing.

Around midmorning the sun burst through the clouds in a riot of dazzling light. Within the hour, the sky was blue and the ground drying.

"Well that was sudden and unexpected." Abadon remarked, reining in Necromance next to my stoic little Windy.

"Better than smelling wet horse all day." I said with a wry grin. Abadon looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

"How is your arm today, Jared?" He asked. I had not allowed him to check it that morning, insisting that we press on ahead. Now I glanced down at my bandage-swathed forearm. I hadn't thought about it recently, but when I looked at it, I could feel the dull, throbbing ache of torn flesh and the sharper pain of what I expected was cracked or splintered bone. The bandage was stained reddish-yellow from blood seeping through it.

"Fine." I shrugged, shifting my attention away from my arm. Abadon's other eyebrow joined his first, making steady tracks to his hairline.

"Do you feel pain, Jared? Or are you some kind of berserker?" He inquired, patting Necromance as the horse sidled sideways in an attempt to eat a flower of some sort.

I opened my mouth to reply and then shut it thoughtfully. I'd never really thought about my response to pain before. But now that I looked more closely, it seemed that it just hurt briefly, initially, and then ceased to matter. Overall, pain just was not something that really concerned me.

"I've no idea." I said, choosing that moment to look up. Skingrad loomed before us, a great castle surrounded by towering walls. Over those walls I could make out the top of the Great Chapel of Julianos, something I'd read about in passing while under Phintias' tutelage. He'd forced me to read everything about Cyrodiil and it's neighbors, so I knew a little more than many about the main cities in my home country.

"C'mon Abadon, I'll race you." I said in a fit of spontaneity. I was a little more sure on Windy than I had been when we'd started out, so I leaned forward and urged her onward, whispering excitedly in her furry ear. She complied with my request and broke into a teeth-rattling canter. Behind me, I could hear Abadon laughing as he followed on Necromance.

We pulled to a halt by the stables and dismounted, handing our horses off to a man who went by the name of Tilmo. With Abadon leading, we approached the gates on foot.

The scenery distracted me as Abadon went to speak to the guards, so I didn't hear most of what he said. The gates did open quickly, however, which was all that I cared about.

"Come Jared, I know of a fine healer up at the Chapel." Abadon put one hand on the small of my back and guided me in to the great fortress-like town. I was content to be led for the moment, looking around like a poor country lad at the vast houses and shops that resided within Skingrad's great walls. I had never been outside of the Imperial City, so it was a breathtaking sight.

We passed shops and guildhalls, a couple of mansions, inns and lodges, and passed over a bridge before we finally came to the Chapel of Julianos.

"This is it. The healer I know is a young woman who lives here" Abadon guided me up to the Chapel and pulled open the heavy door for me. The interior was cool and smelled faintly of some kind of incense. There were few people about, just a priest and a very slender young Breton in a dark green dress.

"Marie, come here, I've someone for you to meet." Abadon said, striding over to greet the young woman.

"Abadon!" She grinned exuberantly and went to meet him. Abadon smiled in return and swept her into a tight embrace. He put her down and led her to me by one hand.

"Jared, this is Marie Palielle, a friend of my sister's. Marie, this is Jared, a good friend of mine and an excellent fighter." Abadon introduced us, releasing Marie's hand as he did so. Marie swept me a deep curtsy, and then looked at Abadon curiously.

"What brings you here? I know you don't particularly like chapels." Marie inquired. I frowned, wondering what that rather cryptic comment meant.

"…And he has a rather nasty bite." I was pulled out of my thoughts by Abadon's warm, honeyed voice.

"Oh, do come downstairs! I've herbs that should stave off any infection." Marie led the two of us down the staircase in the middle of the chapel and took us through a wooden door to the priest's living quarters, chatting away all the time.

She led us to another, small room off to one side. It held a wooden table and bench, a cabinet, and a chest of drawers. Various bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling, filling the room with a sweet scent.

"Here, sit down Jared." Marie took my wrist and then yanked her hand away. "You're burning with fever." Her hand was back on my skin, against my forehead. Her touch was cool and professional as she sat me down on the wooden bench.

"Take off your shirt." She ordered. I complied, stripping it off and folding it neatly. The cold air hit me and I shivered slightly. Abadon noticed and sat down next to me, close enough that I could feel his body heat. I smiled at him gratefully.

Marie bustled around, taking various items out of the cabinet, pinching herbs off of the bundles, moving several small clay jars around as she searched for something.

She turned back to me and set her burden. I identified motherwort, alkanet, arrowroot, ginseng, and garlic but was lost from there on. Various other leaves lay scattered across the table along with bandages, a mortar and pestle, and two small clay jars.

"Bites are serious things. They get infected so easily." Marie sighed and removed the bandage from my shoulder. She checked the cut there, seeming satisfied with the work Abadon had done on it. She pulled the cap off of one of the clay jars and spread a pale green ointment on my shoulder. It stung briefly, and then cooled, making that region of my body feel as though it had been out in the snow for a while. I shivered more violently, but the feeling only lasted for a moment before fading away.

"I'm not really a great healer, so I do most of my work with herbs. This I should be able to help some, though." Marie put her hand over the cut and an unsettling sensation shivered across my shoulder and down my back. Her eyes closed and remained closed for several moments. Then a smile spread across her face.

"I can also get rid of those saddle sores if you like." She offered. Her voice was distant, far off. I could feel her magic creeping through my body, soothing away minor scrapes, and healing some of the deeper bruises I had received from the elf.

"If you like." I replied indifferently. The sores had bothered me somewhat, but not enough for me to complain about it. Then those were eased as well. All of my taut, stiff muscles loosened as Marie healed the small tears in them. I felt her magic probe at my arm, but then she flinched away and the feeling abruptly withdrew as she yanked her hand off of my shoulder. The shallow gash was now no more than a mostly healed scar, slightly pink and puckered.

"I can't heal the bite with magic, it's too severe. Your fever is also too set in for me to do anything about it. I can help some with my herbs though." Marie picked up bits and pieces of the flowers and leaves and combined them into a small bowl. She picked up her pestle and ground them together until the ingredients were reduced to fine powder.

"Let me look at it quickly." Marie took my hand and extended my injured arm gently, unwrapping the bandages with her other hand. They came away stiff with dried blood in some places, and damp with fresh blood in others. When she pulled away the soft cloth, some of the skin below went with it. The wound smelled foul, and I wrinkled my nose, tilting my head away from it. Marie's eyebrows rose a notch. The flesh beneath was torn and swollen, and if I squinted a little I could see something paler that looked like bone. Pale yellow pus was gathered around the edges.

"Abadon, clean this out while I finish my poultice." She handed him a clear glass bottle full of something that smelled acrid and a soft, clean rag. Abadon smiled faintly.

"Brace yourself, this stings." He warned, damping the rag. He took my arm and ran the cloth over the ragged, inflamed bite marks. He had warned me, and it really did hurt. It felt as though he had laid a hot branding iron on my exposed flesh. I hissed through my teeth and clenched my fist.

"So you do feel pain." Abadon said quietly, thoughtfully almost as he continued his ministrations, cleaning the wound a little more forcefully now.

"I'm not stone." I growled as he pulled the cloth away. He didn't seem satisfied because he took the bottle up and upended half the contents directly over the wound. I ground my teeth, promising myself some kind of horrible revenge on him later

"Having fun yet?" Abadon asked with a small smile as he took up a fresh cloth and patted the wound dry.

"Always." I replied through gritted teeth.

"Abadon, you could have been a little more gentle." Marie scolded as she came over with her bowl of ground herbs. It had a pungent smell about it now, and had been reduced to a greenish paste.

"I'll do what I can, but you need to have it looked at again by a better healer." Marie said as she worked the paste into the skin around my wound. "This should hold off any horrible infection. If any does set in, this will keep it from spreading to the rest of your body." She paused and looked up. "Or so I hope." She smiled reassuringly and picked up a fresh roll of bandage.

"We're headed to Anvil. I'll have a mage there look at him." Abadon said as Marie wrapped my arm loosely.

"Good. You need to put this one once a day, preferably at night before you go to sleep. Try to keep the wound clean." She let go of my arm and stood back to examine her work. "At least the rest of you looks to be in better repair." It was true; my bruises were faded to pale yellow patched, my scrapes were gone entirely and my muscles weren't so tightly wound anymore.

"Thank you Marie." Abadon said, offering me my shirt back. I took it and pulled it on over my head.

"Of course Abadon. I would do anything for your family. Tell Ambrosia that I said hello when you see her next." Marie wiped her hands on her dress. "I must go. I've a very ill child I need to see to." Marie smiled at both of us, handed Abadon one of the clay pots, and swept out of the room.

"Do you feel any better?" Abadon asked, offering me a hand up. I took it and he helped me to my feet. He kept my hand a moment longer, waiting for a response.

"I do, actually." I replied. Abadon nodded and dropped my hand.

"We can continue on, if you're feeling up to it, or we could find a room in town for the night." He sighed. I could tell from his expression that he really did not want to stay in town.

"Let's just go. I want to see Kvatch." I said, smiling in an effort to cheer him up. It seemed to do the trick.

"Kvatch is another four days ride from here. Should be fun." With that, we left the Great Chapel of Julianos.

888

Abadon kept the pace slow for the rest of the day. With the soreness taken out of my legs and backside, I sat much more easily on Windy and she seemed to sense it, ambling along more happily than she had for the past few days.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Abadon tugged gently on Necromance's reins to stop him.

"That looks like a good place to camp." He said, nodding to a copse of trees not far distant from the road.

"Let's go look at it then." I turned Windy off of the main road. We walked our horses to it in silence, enjoying the cool of the coming night and each other's company. The copse proved to be a good place to camp, sheltered by the thick tree branches and with a little pond off to one side.

"I'll take care of the horses if you gather some wood for a fire." Abadon offered. I accepted, and left Windy in his capable hands.

Wood was not hard to come across, so I soon had a nice, neat pile assembled and set up a little fire pit. By the time I had a nice blaze going, night had fallen and Abadon was finished with both of the horses.

We ate toasted bread and cheese that night, along with a skin of fine brandy Abadon had brought. It was a simple meal, but a tasty, filling one. The brandy, also, was quite strong. By the time we had polished off the skin between us, the world was spinning and the smallest of things seemed vastly amusing.

"…My sister, Ambrosia, was so determined to have that apple that she leaned too far out of the tree and fell in the fish pond and ripped most of her skirt off! All of the orchard lads were happy for that." Abadon finished his story and we both burst into gales of laughter. I had laughed so much that I had a stitch in my side and it only got worse as we had hysterics over that story as well.

"Your family sounds like an interesting bunch." I said after we had quieted.

"They are, really." Abadon tossed a stick into the fire and leaned against my shoulder, stretching his long legs out languidly in front of him. "My mother gets rather annoying sometimes. She keeps trying to marry me off to any girl of noble birth who walks through our door." He sighed moodily and squeezed the last bit of brandy out of the skin.

"None of them have met with your fancy then?" I asked, trying to toss another stick into the fire. I missed and it clattered away into the darkness.

"Not one. They're all featherbrained dolts." Abadon frowned at the empty skin and tossed it away.

"I'm sure one of them will meet with your approval sooner or later." I said lightly. It was depressing to see Abadon in a dark mood.

"Somehow, I don't think so." Abadon sighed and relaxed slowly against my shoulder. When I looked over, I saw that he was asleep. I smiled and leaned him carefully against the tree we had been sitting next to. I covered him with a blanket and banked the fire before settling down next to him. I fell asleep and dreamed of grotesque brides in gowns of woven stars and Abadon standing apart from them, naked with a pair of magnificent, ebony colored wings and a katana in his hands.


End file.
